Just outside the popular family attraction of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie is another kid magnet: McDonald's. At least this one sports Polynesian-influenced architecture and a couple of cultural displays inside, as well as only-in-Hawai'i menu items.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper, Special To SFGate

Just outside the popular family attraction of the Polynesian...

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A trail less than a mile long leads to Manoa Falls; eat lunch at the kid-friendly Treetops restaurant before or after the hike and your parking is free.

The best things in life may not always be free, but for families traveling to Oahu on vacation, it helps if they're at least inexpensive. Sure, there's no charge for enjoying the beach, yet costs can still add up quickly for other types of sightseeing, not to mention dining. Luckily regular visits in the company of guinea pigs, I mean other people's children, have given me a go-to list of cheap entertainment and eats — for those times when the kids can actually be wooed out of the water. Here are some highlights.

Animal antics

Spotting turtles nibbling on rocks, dolphins frolicking in the waves or (in winter) spouting whales offshore is exciting to all ages, and children who can swim can — and should — learn to snorkel in a number of safe, shallow areas. But for less than the cost of a snorkel set rental, they can get close to a wide variety of reef and deep-sea creatures, including two rare Hawaiian monk seals, at the jewel-box Waikiki Aquarium. Its compact size is geared to short attention spans, without sacrificing educational content. Admission is just $2 for ages 5 to 12 (younger free) accompanied by adults ($9, seniors $6.)

For families staying west of Waikiki in the Ko Olina resort — including Disney's new Aulani resort, opening in August — take a break from the artificially sculpted beaches to walk around the lagoons at the JW Marriott Ihilani, which affords great views of manta rays, hammerhead sharks and tropical fish. You can also pick up the shoreline trail where the paved path ends to explore the natural coves of Ko Olina, home to turtles, scuttling crabs and tidepool creatures. (A paved walk a mile in the opposite direction leads to the Ko Olina Marina, where you have a free view of the ship used in Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean.")

If you're driving to the beautiful, broad (and yeah, breezy) beaches of the Windward Side, take the exciting Pali Highway (Highway 61) so you can take a quick detour at the Nu'uanu Pali State Wayside, generally called the Pali Lookout. Pali means cliff or cliffs, and at 1,200 feet, the view is striking — so too the spooky display depicting warriors being driven over the heights by King Kamehameha's forces in 1795. But kids — hold on to little ones near the edge, due to the strong, gusty winds — are likely to be equally entertained by the flock of jungle fowl haunting the parking lot.

Technically, admission to the lookout is free, but parking is now $3 per car for visitors. So get your money's worth by letting the children stretch their legs on the adjacent Old Pali Road, now a trail closed to vehicles.

Waterfall safaris

The exotic flora as well as fauna of Hawai'i can catch children's fancy, especially if paired with a waterfall hike. Off the usual tourist path is the University of Hawai'i Lyon Arboretum and Botanical Garden, a 200-acre enclave in a tropical rainforest above one of Honolulu's prettiest neighborhoods, Manoa Falls. Among its many attractions is the gentle uphill trail to 'Aihualama Falls, which passes through gardens showcasing palms, albizia trees, banyans, ginger, heliconia, native Hawaiian plants, sugar cane, bamboo and many more. It's 1.6 miles round trip, and offers enough unique sights (including an allegedly haunted abandoned seismic monitoring station) that my companions, age 11 and 13, took it in stride that the 30-foot "falls" were a tiny trickle that day. Admission is free (donations suggested); pick up a cool drink and homemade jams in the gift shop.

To make up for the underwhelming 'Aihualama Falls, we headed down the road to the more heavily used trail to 150-foot Manoa Falls. (The 'Aihualama trail actually connects to the Manoa Falls trail, but over a stretch more difficult than we were up to that day.) Thanks to the "Lost" production team, there's a new restroom station near the start, and if you dine beforehand at the kid-friendly (and aptly named) Treetops Restaurant buffet ($6.95 children, $11.95 adults), you can park for free in its guarded lot while you hike to the falls, passing through a bamboo forest along the way. Just be sure to go on a weekday to avoid the biggest crowds, wear insect repellent and stay on the trail.

A more expensive option — but not as pricey as in previous years — is a visit to Waimea Valley, which includes botanical gardens, wandering peacocks, native birds and restored ancient Hawaiian sites as well as a paved, 3/4 mile path to Waihi (better known as Waimea Falls.) Swimming in the waterfall pool is permitted at the lifeguard's discretion, with a convenient changing room nearby; other daily activities include a hula lesson and instruction in Hawaiian games. Adult admission is $13; age 4 to 12 and over 60, $6, with two-for-one coupons occasionally available in the local giveaway magazines.

Savory shopping

While you're on the North Shore, a trip to the Old Sugar Mill complex in Waialua provides an affordable alternative to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. OK, there's no maze or train, but the warren of eyecatching crafts, tempting chocolates and aromatic coffee displays in Island X lead to a stand of cacao and coffee trees, with signs providing a self-guided tour. In another reclaimed building, the North Shore Soap Factory offers a view of natural bath and body products being made and the opportunity to hand-stamp purchased bars of soap.

Both Island X and the North Shore Soap Factory also carry the locally made Waialua Soda, which comes in pineapple, mango, vanilla cream, root beer, lilikoi (passionfruit) and Kona Red flavors — the latter made with Kona coffee cherries. The locally sourced, natural flavors and cane sugar justified a taste testing for our normally soda-averse companions. (They're now available at World Market stores on the mainland, but taste best in Hawai'i, we decided.)

Similarly, Menehune Mac chocolates taste even better when you buy them from the factory store in Kalihi (about halfway between the airport and Waikiki). Founded in 1939 and still family owned, the chocolate maker often offers tours ("the Chocolate Experience") in which you can make your own box of hand-dipped chocolates, and sells an array of island-made sweets, condiments and coffees. Tours ($10, including chocolate making) are offered Saturday at 10 a.m.; call ahead (808-841-3344) to make a required reservation. Note that children 7 and under can not be in the factory area but may still participate in chocolate making.

Cheap eats

Speaking of food, hotel and restaurant meals add up quickly for families. If you don't have access to free breakfast and nibblies in hotels with club levels (such as the newly remodeled club at the Sheraton and Hyatt in Waikiki), keep in mind the food courts at Royal Hawaiian Center (upper level) and the Waikiki Shopping Plaza (underground), which have a mix of "local," Asian and mainland mall-style options.

While I've been fortunate to travel with kids who are willing to try mixed plates, Spam musubi and other island fare, I've also had to make a McDonald's pit stop for emergency chicken nuggets. At least it was the one in Laie (next to the Polynesian Cultural Center), which sports Polynesian architecture and a couple of cultural displays inside And while the McDonald's prices here are higher than at mainland locations (for the same reason everything tends to be more expensive here — you're in the middle of the ocean), the only-in-Hawai'i menu offering rice, soy sauce, taro pie, pineapple and breakfast combos with Spam or Portuguese sausage let me file our one-time visit under "local flavor."

Looking for a real restaurant to take the kids? If you're not staying at one of the Aston hotels, where children of guests eat free with paying adults, check out the establishments advertising "kids eat free" nights on the Honolulu page of Kidseatfor.com. The Star Advertiser's Dining Out (among other sections) includes many dining ads with discounts for adults and kids at restaurants beyond the normal tourist spots.

Getting around

Renting — and parking — a car so you can go beyond those normal tourist spots (or just get to the more farflung ones) can also be an expensive item in the family vacation budget. A fun new option to visit the Arizona Memorial and other sights of Pearl Harbor — still the island's most popular attraction — as well as other historic sites and shopping and dining areas, is the AlohaBus, a double-decker, open-roof bus with two hop-on, hop-off routes and a free transfer to the Pearl Harbor Express tour bus.

Ages 3 to 11 ride free through Aug. 31 with a paying adult ($29 for a 24-hour All Loops Tour Pass.) The double-decker ride includes GPS-activated tour narration, with stops at Ala Moana Center (home to another great food court, plus a great beach across the street), 'Iolani Palace (tour the grounds, visit the nearby King Kamehameha statue and listen to the Royal Hawaiian Band concerts at noon Fridays, all for free), the Aloha Tower (more family-friendly dining) and Hilo Hattie, among others ; the Pearl Harbor Express stops at the Aloha Stadium during swap meet hours and the Bishop Museum.

And with a little bit of research, you can reach most of the sites in this story via The Bus, which costs just $2.50 for adults, $1.25 for ages 6 to 17 (younger free, if not occupying a seat.) Fares include one free transfer; a four-day pass is $25. The fleet includes a large number of hybrids and the more recently introduced clean diesel buses.

Jeanne Cooper is the former Chronicle Travel Editor and author of SFGate's Hawaii Insider (www.sfgate.com/blogs/hawaiiinsider), a daily blog about Hawaii travel and island culture.